Main-Range-Nationalpark
The Main Range National Park is located about 116 kilometers south-west of Brisbane and 50 kilometers north- west of Warwick in Queensland, Australia. The park is named after the Main Range, a mountain chain formed from volcanoes.
The National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, which were formerly called Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves. It protects the western part of a semi-circle of mountains in southeast Queensland, known as the Scenic Rim and comprise the largest area of rainforest in southeast Queensland. The park is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, which was determined as an important reserve by BirdLife International because of several endangered bird species.
Description
The park extends from Kangaroo Mountain south to Wilsons Peak on the border of New South Wales and includes the Mount Superbus ( 1375 m ), South East Queensland's highest mountain.
The mountains Bare Rock, Mount Cordeaux, Mount Mitchell, Spicer 's Peak, Mount Huntley, Mount Asplenium, Mount Steamer, Steamer Range, Lizard Point, Mount Roberts, Mount Mistake and Mount Superbus are within the Main Range National Parks; in total there are more than 40 mountains that rise over 1000 feet. In the National Park there are trails, camping and picnic facilities as well as other scenic sights such as Spicers Gap, Cunninghams Gap and the Queen Mary Falls.
Geology
The Main Range consists of shield volcanoes that arose prior to 25-22 million years ago in the Tertiary period. Then the central mountains were formed erupted as volcanoes and hence flow out as lava, filled these dikes and formed horizontally located basalt fields. The basalt flows formed the bulk of the Main Range, Little Liverpool Range and Mistake Range and in the past a much larger area, which is also the Lockyer Valley and Fassifern Valley included.
Flora and Fauna
The steep slopes of the National Park were never handled by humans and form a refuge for wildlife. The vegetation is dominated by subtropical rainforest and sclerophyllous forest. The forests and mountain forests provide habitat for many animals, including Eastern Bristlebird ( Dasyornis brachypterus ), Coxen 's Fig- Parrot ( Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni ) and black breast - run chicken ( Turnix melanogaster ), which are threatened with extinction. The endangered and rare fox hawk ( Erythrotriorchis radiatus ) was also seen.
The Giant Barred Frog ( Mixophyes iteratus ), Fleay 's Barred Frog ( Mixophyes fleayi ), giant Quoll ( Dasyurus maculatus ) and the Hastings River Mouse ( Pseudomys oralis ) are listed as endangered species that were once common in the park area of Goomburra Valley.
Giant Barred Frog
Fleay 's Barred Frog
Giant Beutler marten
History
It is believed that the Spicers Gap, traditional way between the domestic and the coast was that used the indigenous population. The rancher Henry ALPHE discovered the Spicers Gap 1847. The Spicers Gap Road enabled the transport of goods to and from Darling Downs and is an example of a successful engineering achievement of the 19th century in Queensland.
The botanist Allan Cunningham is considered as the discoverer of another path on the Main Range in 1828. Named after him Cunninghams Gap, however, can be seen easily from Brisbane.
1840 Ernst moved Dalrymple in Goomburra Valley. The Dalrymple Creek is named after the early settlers. By 1847 a new road was passed through the Spicers Gap, which opened the field for European colonization. In 1909 the area around the Cunningham's Gap was declared a National Park.
In 1994, the National Park with the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia and the Goomburra Forest Reserve was declared in the Main Range National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 2007, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia and hence the Main Range National Park has been added to the Australian National Heritage List.
Tourist information
There are three camping facilities in the park and numerous hiking trails.